


Winter

by cxrvir



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: (Obviously), Established Relationship, F/F, anyways u can pinpoint the exact moment where i lose my braincell and go on a tangent, are we fans of drunk confessions, enemies 2 lovers but u dont see the burn its implied, its jus fluff, yes we are !!!!!!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21834481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cxrvir/pseuds/cxrvir
Summary: “You’re the prettiest, most beautiful girl in this whole entire world.” Nayeon resumed swinging herself around the lamp post again. “And you picked me. Out of all the people in the world. You picked me! You picked Nayeonnie!”Dahyun felt her ears grow hot. How could a person be so annoying and so cute at the same time.“Hey!” Nayeon suddenly yelled into the night sky, shaking one gloved fist at the moon. “Hey! She picked me! She! Picked! Me!”
Relationships: Im Nayeon/Kim Dahyun
Comments: 12
Kudos: 144





	Winter

**Author's Note:**

> hbd 2 marina, u a real one cant believe i've known u since we were 16, woww what a Time. im pretending like this isnt almost a month late LMAOOOO lov u 😤😤😠💕💞💗
> 
> based loosely on this [au](https://bbygirldahyun.tumblr.com/tagged/cheer-au)

“Have I ever told you about your eyes?”

There was a long suffering sigh. 

“Yes. You haven’t stopped talking about it since I picked you up.”

Nayeon carried on, ignoring Dahyun's amused smile. The answer didn’t stop her.

“They’re _so_ brown...” Nayeon sniffled, the tip of her nose going pink. She looked up at the sky, having a silent conversation with the stars. She jammed her hands deep into her coat pockets. “Hot coffee with honey swirls. A rock in the pond and the sun hits it and it's like a shiny and shimmery and special? Chocolate and hard toffee pieces with the swirlies in the middle—” Nayeon stopped in her tracks, heels trailing in the melting snow, “—golden amber when the sunlight hits you in the morning. Did you know? They light up like honey-bronze when you smile? Especially when you’re happy. Like you got the stars stuck in your eyes. Hey did you know—” Nayeon turns around to look at her, suddenly serious, “you look like you have fireworks in your eyes when you’re happy.” She gave a long, wistful sigh. “I love them. They’re one of my favourite things about you. I can’t get enough. I could probably never get enough.”

Dahyun felt the back of her neck get hotter and hotter with every word Nayeon spoke. 

“Have I told you that I love your eyes?”

“Yes. You mentioned that earlier when I came to get you from the bar.”

“And your _hair_ —” Nayeon scampered under a nearby lamp post and grabbed onto the metal pole with one gloved hand. Then proceeded to swing herself around it, letting her head hang carelessly, dark hair falling loosely down her back in waves. “Oh my god, your _hair_ . I never thought much of it. I don’t think I thought about it all in school. And then you started dying it. _Gosh_ . When you walked into school that day with your blue hair—” her voice lowered into a whisper so loud that the wind howling around them was barely audible. “—I remember thinking you were the prettiest girl I had ever seen in my whole life. My whole, _entire_ life. Do you know! How many years my life is!” Nayeon waved her hands around in the air frantically, her coat sleeves flapping around, her gloved hands appearing smaller than usual. Dahyun thought it made it look especially snuggly. “You know when you live- _like_ -when you- like- are alive for a long time, I-I don’t know - I remember you walking into school with your blue hair. You were _so_ \- I knew I was ruined.”

She spun around the lamp post again before pulling herself upright, rocking slightly on her toes. She swung herself around once more and staggered to a stop.

“I can’t believe I thought nothing about your hair. Until you dyed it blue. Because now it’s black. Like before we met properly. It was black back then." Dahyun scrunched her nose, trying to follow Nayeon's thought process. Nayeon turned to face her with wide eyes. "God. Baby. I _love_ your hair. But I still think about your hair all the time. Like _all_ the time. Someone said you’d look bad with green hair—” Nayeon looked at Dahyun earnestly, a solemn expression crossing her features. Her eyebrows furrowed together in a stupidly cute frown. “— _I_ don’t think _you_ could ever look bad. You could never look bad.” She scowled deeply for a moment, then her expression cleared to give way to a pompous smile.

“You’re the prettiest, most beautiful girl in this whole entire world.” Nayeon resumed swinging herself around the lamp post again. “And you picked me. Out of all the people in the world. _You_ picked _me_! You picked Nayeonnie!”

Dahyun felt her ears grow hot. How could a person be so annoying and so cute at the same time. 

“Hey!” Nayeon suddenly yelled into the night sky, shaking one gloved fist at the moon. “Hey! She picked me! She! Picked! Me!”

Dahyun rushed to clamp a hand over Nayeon's mouth, looking around the streets in a panic. Nayeon continued her announcement, completely unbothered by her predicament. Her eyebrows came together, perplexed by Dahyun's panicked expression. Dahyun sighed exasperatedly when Nayeon turned big, confused eyes at her.

There was a group of teenagers milling around a park bench, who whooped wildly at Nayeon's loud declaration. Nayeon turned to grace Dahyun with a dopey smile. Big, adoring, brown eyes focussed intensely on her face, tracing her features like she was trying to memorise them; regarding her with open affection. Dahyun felt her cheeks redden at the intensity.

It's mid-winter. It’s the coldest it's going to ever be this year, but the bone-chilling wind is non-existent. No frost in her bones. Her nose doesn't feel the cold sting. Not when Nayeon’s words radiate pure warmth. Dahyun feels like she’s got a permanent fireplace, happily crackling away in her chest. The embers burning red hot and settling into a steady, slow fire. Comfortable. Perfectly warm.

How she makes her feel cosy and snug under a big, wooly blanket; cold hands wrapped around a steaming mug of hot chocolate; coming home to her love asleep on the sofa because she tried to stay up waiting for her. Nayeon's ability to make her feel safe and hopelessly in love, a constant. 

Nayeon’s wrapped her arms around Dahyun’s waist and buried a cold nose in the spot where her neck meets her shoulder. Nayeon pulled away suddenly.

“You picked me,” Nayeon whispered, awestruck. She cupped Dahyun’s face carefully, like she was holding something made of delicate glass, she brushed a strand of hair from falling into her eyes. Her gloved thumbs rubbed gentle lines across Dahyun’s pink cheeks. And then turning away abruptly to bellow into the sky, “you hear that! She picked me!”

Dahyun knocked her head forward onto Nayeon's cheek, fondly exasperated. Then suddenly very serious. Nayeon's voice dropped into a whisper.

"I rescued you that one time, remember?"

Dahyun briefly thinks back to the previous night. And how Nayeon had turned into a world-class rock climber and scaled the counter in order to sit on top of the fridge. All because she'd seen a bug crawling across the floor. 

("It's winter! There's no such thing as bugs in _winter_!") 

“I’m not sure that you’re remembering that night very well, sweetheart,” Dahyun tells her dryly, voice muffled by Nayeon’s shoulder. She breathes in the scent of fresh pine needles and hot chocolate. Nayeon smells like Christmas and happiness, Dahyun’s not really sure how.

“From those scientologists?" 

Dahyun scowls at the memory. Of all the situations to pick. Of all the days Nayeon had chosen to remember.

She had been walking back to their apartment, earphones in, volume turned all the way up, when she had been approached by a few middle-aged people dressed in suits, asking for directions. They’d seemed pretty normal, at first glance. Their attempt at making small talk and asking personal questions was innocuous at first, if a little, intrusive. They talked about her relationships with friends and family, even romantic; to her job, her education and future goals. The immediate switch deeply invasive and nudges at her potential to be successful, was tempting. But a little weird. Dahyun had just chalked it up to old-people-nosiness. Some old-fashioned tough love, she’d thought. Prodding lightly at her insecurities and then balancing it with a solution; dangling it on a string, enticingly.

That is, until, they had approached a discreet building. Dahyun cursed herself when she realised she’d been scammed. This seemed very… cult-y, all of a sudden. Just as she was about to walk in, a girl had come flying at them. And rather deliberately spilled her coffee all over Dahyun's right sleeve. Dahyun watched in disbelief as the liquid — thankfully cold — seeped through her clothes and dramatically dropped onto their shoes and the footpath. The sound of liquid hitting cement, dramatically punctuating the scene. 

"God I'm so sorry!"

And then she kept dabbing at Dahyun's stomach with a tissue, apologising profusely the whole time. Dahyun was so distracted by how gently she was guided away. The steady weight of a slender hand at her elbow, the familiar fresh scent of barely there flowery perfume and coffee. Nayeon’s teasing laugh in her ear. 

Nayeon pulled back to give a deep curtsy, nearly cracking her forehead open on the frost-coated footpath. Dahyun caught her by the scarf and straightened her girlfriend up with a muffled grunt, gripping her firmly by the waist. She could feel Nayeon wobbling unsteadily and grabbing wherever she could reach to keep upright. 

They soon started wandering. One hand down the small of Dahyun's back, the other wrapping tightly around her shoulders, almost drawing her into a hug. Dahyun huffed an amused sigh. 

“Yes. I’m sure you felt very chivalrous.” Dahyun’s voice was dry, muffled by Nayeon's shoulder.

Nayeon nodded heavily, wrapping her arms tightly around Dahyun's shoulders and drawing herself up before cockily saying, “I am a lady...”

There was a pause. She faltered, her expression shut down. 

“I-I try—to be a lady. I _try_ to be a good person.” Her voice wobbled dangerously. “I am trying to be a good person, I promise. I’m trying to be a good person. I promise, Dahyunnie.”

Dahyun looked up, inhaling sharply when she found Nayeon staring down at her. Her warm brown eyes were big and shiny, and starting to swim with unshed tears, the deep guilt beginning to creep through. Years upon years of guilt and regret behind a wide, vulnerable stare. Her jaw was trembling. She sniffled and wiped at her nose with the back of a gloved hand. Dahyun felt her heart clench tightly. 

How could someone look so impossibly pretty with tears running down their cheeks, it was beyond all logic; ocean deep eyes swirling with something. Dahyun can see the waves crash to shore. 

“God— _Dahyunnie_ —” Nayeon’s voice cracked, she gave another soft sniffle, “I’m so so _so_ sorry for everything I did at school—how I treated you—I know you might never be able to forgive me—God I’ve been so horrible—you didn’t deserve any of that, you were so wonderful and always kind, how could I have been so—how could I have treated you so cruelly—”

Nayeon wrung her hands together and brought them up to her face, the heels of her palms covering both eyes as she tried to reign in her emotions. “I treated you so terribly just because it took me three seconds to fall in love with you and I didn’t know what to do with those feelings. God — I am _so_ sorry. I’m trying to be good. I promise I’m trying my best. I know I’ve been—”

Dahyun cut her off hastily, unable to stand how sad Nayeon sounded. “What do you think of my ears?”

Nayeon blinked at her, dazed and thrown off for a loop. “Your—ears?”

“Yes,” Dahyun told her quickly, “my ears. What do you think of them?” She walked them briskly down the street, hooking an arm around Nayeon’s waist and pulling her close, while speaking. “I’ve always thought they were a bit funny looking and kind of big. They stick out too much. Don’t you think?

“No!” Nayeon inhaled sharply, aghast at the mere thought of Dahyun not liking her own ears. “Your ears are perfect. So so adorable and SO perfect. Like-like—little pink sea-shells. But…” her voice was loudly conspiratorial, furtive, “my favourite thing about you, my _absolute_ favourite thing in the WHOLE entire UNIVERSE about _you_ ,” she was getting louder and louder with every word she spoke as they turned the corner, “despite how much I love your pretty eyes and your pretty ears and your pretty hair, are the little noises and grunts you make when I lick your pu—“

Dahyun clamped her hand firmly over Nayeon’s mouth and held it there until her jaw stopped moving. She glared at Nayeon when she finally ripped her hand away. Nayeon’s eyes were wide as she stared at Dahyun expectantly. 

“Will you lower your voice, you absolutely incredible idiot?” Her face was visibly dark red, even in the dim of the streetlights. She could feel a furious blush travel all the way from her cheeks down to her spine.

“Rude,” Nayeon muttered under her breath, her lips jutting into a prominent frown. A frown that Dahyun was struggling not to lean over and kiss. Nayeon crossed her arms over her chest and repeated to herself, “rude. Rude. Rude. Rude. Rude. You are very, very VERY rude.”

Nayeon pulled away from her sulkily, and then pouted while walking over to a short wall. Dahyun watched as she leaned against the brick and proceeded to slither down it slowly, theatrically planting herself on the damp footpath. She swayed unsteadily, eyes closing, eyelashes fluttering.

Dahyun groaned, torn between feeling very annoyed very fond. She grabbed at the lapels of Nayeon’s thick coat and shook her gently, while also trying to pull her to her feet. Nayeon’s head lolled lazily at the movement. “No-no, no, Nayeonnie, keep your eyes open— oh for f— don’t close your eyes,” Dahyun shook her again and then hissed, “don’t you _dare_ close your eyes.” 

“Leave me alone, lady. I am spoken for,” Nayeon said slowly, turning the words over carefully in her mouth, eyes closed. She slapped at the air in front of her, uselessly swatting at Dahyun’s scarf. Her voice was slurring more thoroughly with every word she spoke, while sliding further down the wall.

Dahyun eyed her girlfriend exasperatedly. Somehow, despite all this, Nayeon still managed to look like the prettiest person she’d ever seen, drunk off her ass and half passed out in the middle of the street. Dahyun rubbed at the middle of her forehead, deeply pained. What was she supposed to do? Nayeon let out a soft snuffle. God, she was _so_ cute.

“Come on.” Dahyun grunted. She hooked her arms around Nayeon’s middle and dug her heels into the ground, nearly falling backwards as she attempted to pull Nayeon off the pavement. She heaved another grunt when Nayeon fell into her arms as they stumbled into each other. Dahyun slung Nayeon’s arm around her shoulders, and held steadfastly to her waist. 

Nayeon’s head lolled forward and she leaned heavily against her, nearly folding the both of them over as they stumbled down the street, snow beginning to lightly fall from the sky. Dahyun dragged her past three more buildings, not for lack of effort. Nayeon was completely enamoured by all the christmas lights. Forcing them to stop in front of every house that had visible decorations, which meant that they stopped at every house on the way back to their building. 

They’d managed to finally make it to their building. Dahyun had bargained hard and promised her girlfriend at least six different types of dessert. She leaned Nayeon against a pillar, one hand firmly gripping onto the lapels of Nayeon’s coat and the other trying to fish out their key. It was a fight to keep her girlfriend on her feet, Nayeon was determined to slither down to the floor every time Dahyun so much as thought of looking the other direction. Dahyun managed to get them in front of the elevator. Then, with great effort, dragged Nayeon up the stairs and into their apartment. Only stopping halfway up the staircase to catch her breath, and brush stray wisps of hair from Nayeon’s face. Nayeon rewarded her with a dopey, sleepy grin and patted Dahyun’s cheek clumsily. 

“Here we are.” Dahyun breathed out, breathless, as she fumbled at the doorknob, balancing Nayeon against the doorframe and they fell through the doorway landing in a heap on the carpeted floor.

Dahyun lay on the floor, gulping air into her lungs for several long seconds and then rolled Nayeon out of the way and kicked the door closed behind them. She coaxed a boneless Nayeon off the floor with gentle ministrations and helped her out of her heavy coat. Shucked off her shoes, peeled through the layers of clothes, and pulled an oversized hoodie over Nayeon’s head. She rubbed up and down Nayeon’s shoulders in a mostly unsuccessful attempt to keep her girlfriend awake. Nayeon was pliant and soft under her touch and Dahyun couldn’t help but feel intense affection fill her entire body when Nayeon gifted her with another wide, sleepy smile, eyes disappearing into happy crescents.

Dahyun propped Nayeon on the toilet seat and brushed her teeth carefully. Taking in Nayeon’s sleepy expression, Dahyun held Nayeon’s head up with one hand, thumb brushing Nayeon’s jawline fondly. She removed Nayeon’s makeup with slow, thorough movements, and somehow managed to take out her contacts without much of a fuss. 

She tucked Nayeon carefully under the covers, pulling them up to her chin and patting the space around her. She gave Nayeon’s shoulder one last pat and made a noise of satisfaction before disappearing into the bathroom to carry out her own nighttime routine. She returned to the room and crawled into bed as quietly as possible; nudging herself into Nayeon’s shoulder, Nayeon’s arms automatically wrapped around her and pulled her close. 

Dahyun lifted her head, angled herself just so, and pressed a kiss square on Nayeon’s lips before settling back into her shoulder with a satisfied sigh.

There was a moment there where the night stood still, the earth seemed to stop in its tracks just to remember.

Where only Dahyun and Nayeon existed. 

Nayeon's eyes immediately snapped open and she snatched her arm from around Dahyun with a violent jolt, nearly tumbling off the bed. 

Dahyun sat up, covers pulled to her chest and watched with wide, confused eyes as Nayeon hurriedly sat up, roughly grabbed her pillow and held it against her chest as she stood, back against the wall directly facing their bed. Nayeon blinked, squinting around their bedroom, as if looking for something before making a beeline to the far end, just behind the bedside table. She glanced around the room one final time and dropped her pillow on the floor and planted herself there, shuffling around a few times before settling. She plumped up her pillow under her head and closed her eyes with a deep sigh. 

Dahyun stared at her for several long seconds, completely baffled, before finally speaking. “Nayeon...what on earth are you doing? Come to bed. It’s cold down there. Aren’t you going to sleep up here with me?” 

Nayeon opened one eye blearily, to fix her with an intense stare. She shook her head so vehemently that her hair swished this way and that around her head. “No. You seem like a perfectly nice person. I’m sure you’re great, but I have a girlfriend. I’m not messing that up for anything. She’s my entire world. She’s the best person ever. And I love her and I want to be with her forever.” Nayeon shut her eyes and continued speaking. Meanwhile Dahyun grew warmer, and warmer with every word that came out of her mouth. Her ability to wrap her up in a warm blanket. Dahyun’s heartbeat quickened. “I’m going to marry that girl one day. I can’t mess this up. I already messed up once. I’m not going to mess it up. Not for anything.” 

Nayeon closed her eyes again and went to sleep. How could someone just say all those things without any regard for her heart, thrashing violently in her chest. She could hear Nayeon’s long, even breathing from where she lay, the sound of it soothing her bones.

Dahyun had never really understood the falling in love more everyday thing until she met Nayeon. And really it wasn’t like she even had a choice. Nayeon loved effortlessly and with her whole heart, no reservations. No hesitation. Threw her soul in there too, for good measure. Dahyun knew she held Nayeon’s heart in her hands, but wasn’t sure of how long, until tonight. 

They had fallen together so easily, Dahyun thought, buried in the covers, patting at the empty space next to her. But still feeling like her whole chest had ripped itself open. Finally realising the infinite galaxy-wide chasm of how deep her love ran for Nayeon. And it should have been scary, in theory. To give yourself so completely, so wholly, to someone else. The strength of it, confused her, as much as reassured her. 

The incredible risk. 

Dahyun had never thought she’d ever be capable of loving someone so intensely, so deeply. The way she loves Nayeon, sometimes it feels like she’s drowning. Like the ocean feels deep enough to swallow her completely. But they’re only little birds just on the verge of learning how to take flight. Young deer taking their very first steps, and losing balance. Because aren’t embers still tiny flames, even if they’re fluttering and quivering now. Because one day, the stumbling will have turned into a graceful dance. And the embers will be a steady, unwavering fire.

But their love goes like this: in tiny, baby steps. With room to grow. **Always** with room to grow. 

So here they are, in the still quiet of night, and Dahyun can hear Nayeon’s soft snores from across the room. The quiet hum of the heater overhead. 

Because Nayeon doesn’t want anything from her except, maybe, lazy Sunday mornings watching the world rush by, while having a coffee on their balcony. Maybe, to go grocery shopping after work, and debate the importance of ice cream flavours in the freezer section but buys Dahyun’s favourite anyway. Wants to listen to music in their car, with the windows rolled down to let the gentle breeze in, and maybe have a quiet conversation about her day and everything in between.

She knows that Nayeon wants nothing more than to spend some time together, just them, for a little while. 

Maybe while they’re at it, they may as well watch sunrises and sunsets together for the rest of their lives. Point out the purples and oranges and pinks and reds, no one else can see, from where they’re sitting together. Side by side, tucked into a quiet pocket. 

And Dahyun’s okay with that. She climbed out of bed to drape a second blanket over Nayeon’s sleeping form, dropped a tiny, featherlight kiss onto Nayeon’s temple and tucked another pillow behind her shoulder. 

She’d make them breakfast in the morning. 

**Author's Note:**

> come scream at me on twitter @cxrvir i welcome memes


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